The present disclosure pertains generally to the field of range extender devices.
Computer and information networks allow computerized devices to exchange content or data. For example, Local Area Networks (LANs) provide communications and allow content exchange between computerized devices in business, campus, and residential environments. The predominant protocol for LAN communications is Ethernet. The Ethernet physical and data link layer (e.g., Layer 1 and Layer 2) specifications define how computerized devices exchange content over various types of physical connections.
For example, certain conventional computerized devices configured for use on a LAN typically include a media access controller (MAC) and a physical interface transceiver (PHY). Conventional MACs are configured in the computerized devices as data link layers. Conventional PHYs connect corresponding MACs to a physical medium, such as a copper Category 5 (Cat5) twisted-pair wire or cable, and are configured to exchange data between the MAC and the physical medium. In a receive mode, the PHY receives data from the physical medium and decodes the data into a form appropriate for the receiving computerized device. In a transmit mode, the PHY takes data from the computerized device, typically from the MAC, and converts the data into a form appropriate for the physical medium in use.
In certain conventional LANs, a switch typically receives data from, and transmits data to, one or more computerized devices on the LAN via the Cat5 cable. However, based upon the relative physical proximity of the switch and the computerized devices in LAN, a Cat5 cable may be too short to connect a computerized device to the switch. In such a case, a female-to-female RJ-45 connector can be used to mate two or more Cat5 cables to achieve a desired cable length and allow the exchange of data between the switch and the computerized device.